Turtle Seashore made a superb SteelSeries headset clone that’s $50 much less

I actually appreciated the SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wirelessso the corporate didn’t need to say a lot to get me enthusiastic about its successor. The $399 Nova Professional Omni that got here out on Might fifth has an analogous design to the 2022 mannequin, however with some new and improved options — assist for wi-fi hi-res audio (24-bit / 96kHz audio over 2.4GHz), higher mic high quality, and compatibility with all consoles in each mannequin, to call the massive ones. All of the $599 Nova Elite has on the Omni is healthier construct supplies and larger drivers.

However issues received attention-grabbing when, just some weeks earlier than the Omni was introduced, Turtle Seashore confirmed off its Stealth Professional 2. To say that it’s impressed by earlier SteelSeries headsets is placing it evenly. It has swappable batteries, a battery-charging wi-fi base station, a companion app for shortly altering audio settings, and the power to hearken to 2.4GHz and Bluetooth audio concurrently. To high it off, it affords wi-fi hi-res audio assist, too, and a barely cheaper $349 price ticket.

So, I did what was obligatory: I referred to as in each to check them concurrently to see which I believed was the very best worth. What I spotted was that SteelSeries’ $399 Arctis Nova Professional Omni and Turtle Seashore’s $349 Stealth Professional 2 are each nice for a number of causes, however they aren’t value shopping for primarily based on their hi-res audio capabilities alone — a serious promoting level for each. I couldn’t discover the hi-res distinction in comparison with the default bit charge (24-bit, 48kHz) on my Home windows 11 PC.

I examined out a number of albums’ value of lossless tunes in Qobuz, and performed plenty of Marathonwhich is stuffed with little location-based sounds that may trace at my impending doom. I can’t think about myself an audiophile as a result of I’ve tinnitus, which prevents me from listening to some high-frequency sounds. Regardless, I’m in good firm with many different individuals who can not reliably spot the hi-res distinction. All of it sounded the identical to me. Good, however not adequate to encourage you to spring for a brand new headset.

Functionally, the AirPods Max-inspired Stealth Professional 2 is the higher possibility if you happen to don’t have your entire gaming gadgets in a centralized location. Mine are sprinkled round my condo, so I like that the Stealth Professional 2 has a button that toggles between transmitters (all whereas sustaining a simultaneous Bluetooth connection to my telephone).

Each the Omni and the Stealth Professional 2 allow you to make on-the-fly changes to equalizer and mic settings by way of a cell companion app over Bluetooth, so that you received’t need to race to your PC to tweak settings. Nonetheless, Turtle Seashore’s headset offers you extra on-device management choices. You’ll be able to shuffle by way of equalizers with a button on the Stealth Professional 2, and there are three dials to regulate USB supply and Bluetooth quantity independently and modify recreation / chat combine ranges. You may also customise what a few of its further inputs do in its app. SteelSeries delegates a lot of the controls to the GameHub station.

The Arctis Nova Professional Omni is a bit completely different in execution, however comparable in operate and design to the Nova Professional Wi-fi. Its station is the audio mind for your entire gaming devices, assuming all of them are inside 5 ft for its two included USB-C-to-USB-A cables to achieve. It could actually obtain 4 wired audio sources (three USB-C, and one 3.5mm line-in audio), and blend up three without delay, together with Bluetooth. The mic works throughout platforms, too. The Omni is the best choice if its USB audio source-swapping base station is all the time inside attain.

These headsets are able to wealthy, balanced audio that made me really feel immersed in video games. Even with out their good energetic noise cancellation results turned on, their ear pads muffle a superb quantity of outdoor sound. Each headsets’ software program affords in-depth equalizer customization by way of their PC apps, however I most well-liked how the Omni sounds even with similar EQ waveforms throughout headsets. It has stronger mids and highs with heat when content material requires it, extra managed bass, and higher delineation between frequencies. The Stealth Professional 2 is shut, although.

One space the place SteelSeries pulls forward is with mic high quality. Its retractable increase mic is superior to what’s provided by Turtle Seashore’s removable flip-to-mute mic. My voice sounds hotter and has extra element (and doesn’t sound as very similar to I’m speaking on the phone). Although, neither sounds higher than a devoted desktop mic.

Most individuals have in all probability already found out which headset gels finest with their setup. The Stealth Professional 2 has a extra interesting value that’s $50 lower than the Omni, plus a number of nice options that I’m extra used to seeing provided in a SteelSeries headset. Then once more, it won’t be the suitable match for everybody’s setup or sound preferences.

The Omni is a implausible headset, too, but when your funds is locked to below $300, the SteelSeries Nova Professional Wi-fi continues to be a heck of a headset that’s generally offered for round $270. Its lack of wi-fi hi-res audio isn’t a draw back to me, and there’s nonetheless loads to like in regards to the look, really feel, and efficiency of the last-gen mannequin.

Images by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge